


We all will be together

by KristiLynn



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Bad Days, Birthday, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Gen, Winter Wonderland ficathon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 19:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8929177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KristiLynn/pseuds/KristiLynn
Summary: Angie has a terrible Christmas Eve





	

Angie Martinelli was awake, staring up at the ceiling when the sound of the phone echoed through her empty room. Rolling over she looked at her clock, 7:25 am. Who could be calling her at this time, especially on Christmas Eve?

‘God please don’t be my mother,’ she thought to herself as she reached for the phone.

“Hello?” She mumbled.

“Angie, it’s Caroline.” Angie had met Caroline at an acting workshop a few months back and she looked up to her. Caroline was getting audition after audition, and while she wasn’t a household name she was doing better than Angie who couldn’t even get her foot in the door. So she promised that the next time she heard about an audition she’d pass it along.

“What’s going on?”

“Look, I was supposed to keep this hush hush so don’t tell anyone else but Brillo is doing an open casting call. Apparently their girl dropped out and they’re shooting Monday so they need someone now.”

Angie shot up out of bed, almost tripping over the phone cord. “Where? When?” Caroline told her all of the information which Angie quickly scribbled down on a notepad beside the phone. “I owe you Caroline, I do.”

She quickly hung up the phone and rushed to her closet. What was she going to wear? She didn’t own anything that walked that thin line between sexy and housewife. She didn’t own anything that said housewife at all.

She stopped suddenly at the closet door, finally awake. There looking back at her was a knee length green dress with fur on the neck and sleeves, red tights and an elf cap. She had work today.

Could she do both? Auditions started at 9, she had to be at the shop ready to introduce kids to Santa at 11. Theoretically it was possible but she’d be cutting it close.

“What am I thinking?” She asked herself. This was her chance to be seen for a national ad she had to take it. And if she was fired, then she was fired. It was going to be here last day there no matter what.

But she’d still wear the dress. She’d definitely leave an impression if nothing else.

“Did I hear the phone?” Peggy asked peaking her head into Angie’s room.

“Yeah.” Angie nodded her head as she slid the dress over her head. “Open audition. I’m hoping if I leave now I’ll be there before the crowd.”

“Who holds auditions on Christmas Eve?”

“The same type of people who make a poor girl dress up as an elf and do a dance with a snowman and some reindeer.” Angie turned around. “Zip me.”

“I still don’t understand why you took that terrible job.”

“Because it’s an acting job that pays and right now I’m not in the position to turn those down.”

“When will you be home?”

“I don’t know. The store closes at 4 then I’ve got a couple hours at the diner so 8. Maybe?”

“Alright. Dinner will be ready when you get home.”

Angie sighed, “You guys can all eat and I’ll make something when I get home.”

“Angie, no. It’s Christmas Eve and since everyone is going to be here I’d like to do something as a family.”

“You’re too much sometimes, English. You know that?”

\---

Angie slid into the staff room with two minutes to spare. The audition went well. She certainly made an impression when she entered the room, slipped on the freshly waxed floor and fell flat. The director did tell her that it was one of the most graceful falls, which made her feel better about the whole thing but still embarrassed.

“Cutting it close aren’t you?” Roxie, one of the dancing reindeer whispered as Angie got into position. “Out late celebrating?”

“No. I actually had an audition.”

“Really?” Roxie’s eyes went wide. “Anything I’d know?”

“Yeah. But that’s all i’m going to say. I don’t want to jinx it. ”

“Fine.” Roxie turned, ready to go on stage and then turned back again. “By the way happy bir--”

“No. Don’t say the B word.”

Angie didn’t know how Roxie had found out her birthday but she wished she never had. Angie couldn’t stand having a Christmas birthday. Everyone would joke that it meant double the presents, but in actuality it meant one present that was supposed to represent two. It meant not having birthday parties like all the other kids on her block, not getting treated to a dinner in the restaurant of her choice like her brothers because everywhere was closed.

Roxie stuck her tongue out playfully. “Spoil sport.”

\---

Angie hobbled up the street towards home. How was it that a morning that started so well had turned into an afternoon and a night that went so bad.

About three hours into her shift Angie had started feeling a sharp pain in her leg from when she fell that morning. It made her dance routine hard, but not impossible. Then the last family waiting in line to see Santa was comprised of six children ranging in age from 6 to one-year. They all wanted to sit on Santa’s lap for the photo, except for the youngest who just wanted to cry. Finally they’d all gotten situated ready to take the photo when the baby spit up all down the front of Angie’s dress which caused one of the middle children to throw up all over the bottom of the dress.

At that point Angie had a bruise from her hip to right behind her knee and she smelled faintly like rotten milk, both of which she noted as she changed into an overpriced dress that she had to purchase with the holiday bonus her boss was kind enough to give her early.

At this point she just wanted to go home, drink a bottle of wine and take a long hot bubble bath. But no she now had to go put in a few hours serving food to people who would rather sit in a booth complaining that there were so few people working rather than being grateful that the place was even open to begin with.

Now finally it was time to leave. She stepped outside to discover the temperature had dropped and it had begun to snow. Now it wasn’t a lot, just an inch or two, but it was enough to make the streets very slick.

‘This is it,’ Angie said to herself. ‘I’m officially done with this day.

Traffic was a nightmare, it took twice as long to get home then usual and Angie was sure it must now must be close to ten by now. And then she walked up to the steps she noticed it was oddly dark inside.

“They’re asleep.” she said.

She wasn’t sure why she felt so sad about that. She was used to not doing anything for her birthday, she even told Peggy this morning that she didn’t want them to wait for her. But this felt different.

She trudged her way up the steps and opened up the door. Then the lights came on and she was met with everyone standing there with smiles on their faces.

“Surprise!” Everyone exclaimed.

Angie stood there in shock, shivering in the doorway. The place looked completely different than it had when she left. The Christmas decorations had been replaced with streamers and a banner that read ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!”

“You’re as red as Rudolph!” Peggy gasped and then she ran to grab a blanket.

“Here, this will warm you up,” Howard said handing her a glass of eggnog, which only after she’d drank it down Angie realized was spiked.

“This is all for me?” Angie wheezed, trying to find her voice after that drink.

“Of course.” Peggy wrapped the blanket around Angie’s shoulders. “We couldn’t just sit by and do nothing on your birthday.”

“How did you find out?”

“Your mother,” Howard told her as he poured himself a drink.

“She called asking if you really had to work or if you were avoiding seeing everyone on your birthday,” Peggy explained.

“Why didn’t you tell us that it’s your birthday?” Ana asked.

“I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

“It’s not a problem.” Peggy told her.

“Have you met this group?” Howard asked. “We love to celebrate.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Jarvis said from the corner, “but dinner is ready. I’d hate for it to get cold.”

“Oh yes.” Ana hooked arms with Angie, “And then for dessert I made a hazelnut and chocolate meringue cake that is to die for.”

“And don’t forget about presents after.” Peggy said as she took Angie’s other arm.

“We’re not going to open them in the morning?”

“No,” Peggy told her. “Then they would be your Christmas presents.”

“Thank you.” Angie whispered.

Peggy kissed the top of her head. “You’re welcome.”


End file.
